1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the art of document microfilming and, more particularly, to the automatic microfilming of documents havng various formats. The invention also provides for the development of exposed sheets of microfilm in a continuous process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Microfilming is eminently suitable for the safeguarding of documents of any kind and/or the space saving acquisition and reproduction of literature references. It is therefore used intensively in a great variety of applications, such as for example in banks, libraries, industrial enterprises, institutes and patent offices, both in this country and abroad.
Cameras are known for microfilming whereby the documents to be filmed are taken up manually and individually. The exposure of a sheet film or fiche is followed separately and by means of a special camera or specific auxiliary devices by the filming of the title and the identification. The counting of the individual film sheets of a series is effected by the operator, who must prepare and film a corresponding image in order to apply the serial number and/or the date of the film to the sheet film. Following the completion of this work the sheet film is conveyed to a known, automatic developing apparatus, which develops the exposed film and discharges it in the dry state.
Numerous users of the microfilm technique must record large volumes of documents, often with different formats, in the shortest time possible, both with their front and reverse sides. Often, too, certain identifying notations which are not present on the documents themselves, such as for example registration numbers, company identification and the like must be recorded simultaneously. Operations of this type performed with the means known at this time are highly labor-intensive and time consuming. Furthermore, identification errors are easily possible so that the entire filming of large numbers of documents must be repeated.